Aug. 9: Bachman's CEO killed, wife injured in Beijing attack

A Chinese man stabbed Todd and Barbara Bachman of Lakeville, parents of former Olympian Elisabeth Bachman, before leaping to his death.

By Mike Kaszuba, Abby Simons and Jim Foti, Star Tribune

Last update: August 19, 2008 - 10:34 AM

The chief executive of Bachman's, a century-old floral and garden center based in Minneapolis, was killed and his wife was seriously injured in an attack Saturday by a deranged assailant as they toured an ancient landmark while attending the Olympic Games in Beijing

The death of Todd Bachman, 62, who had worked at the family-owned company since the 1960s, jolted the first day of competition at the Summer Olympics and came as Chinese officials employed heavy security measures to portray their country as welcoming and open to tourists. Half a world away, at the company's headquarters in south Minneapolis, stunned family members mourned the death of the fourth-generation company leader and the wounding of his wife, Barbara, also 62.

"He was fabulous. He was a friend," Dale Bachman, the company's president and a second cousin of Todd Bachman's, said at an emotional news conference Saturday. He said that Barbara Bachman had undergone surgery, that she was in intensive care and that "the next 24 hours are very critical."

Speaking haltingly at times, Dale Bachman described the closeness of the family. "We played together and worked together our entire lives," he said. "They were very excited about making this trip to China."

The attack took place near the Drum Tower, an ancient structure in the heart of Beijing, which was used to tell time in the imperial era. The Bachmans, along with a Chinese guide, were the targets of an apparently unprovoked attack by a Chinese man who then jumped to his death. The couple had been accompanied by their daughter, Elisabeth, a former Olympic volleyball player who is married to the U.S. men's Olympic volleyball coach, Hugh McCutcheon.

The family gave few details of the attack but said that Todd Bachman, the company's chief executive and chairman since 1994, had been walking a few steps behind his wife and daughter. When Barbara heard Todd being attacked, she went toward him.

Clark Randt, the U.S. ambassador to China, visited Barbara Bachman in intensive care at Peking Union Medical College Hospital but declined to comment on the attack.

Attacker had no criminal record

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